User Reviews

This film was included in the three DVD set "Saved From the Flames"--a collection of mostly ephemeral movies that have managed to avoid turning to powder, catching fire or melting--something that usually happened with the nitrate film stock used up through the 1950s.

For a film from 1900, "Kobelkoff" is amazingly interesting and watchable today--something that can't be said of most films from the era. However, what makes it interesting also makes it a bit creepy and disturbing in light of our modern sensibilities. While going to a freak show to laugh and gawk at human oddities was quite acceptable, watching Kobelkoff ('the Human Torso') perform stunts for our amusement seems wrong. After all, the guy is missing his arms and legs and this is supposed to serve as entertainment! Yet, I gotta admit, that it IS fascinating to watch and holds up pretty well. Oooo, I feel so ashamed.

A short actuality, about a minute and a half in length which shows Nikolai Kobelkoff, a man without arms or legs who nonetheless can eat, paint a picture and hop around.

It's a bit hard to comment on this a century later, with my modern sensibilities which holds that this is a rather upsetting choice for a short film. It is apparently just a bit of a freak show. Part of me is upset at the thought that this is how Kobelkoff earned his living. Part of me says that it shows people like this. It doesn't hide them, it shows them as they are.

And yet the intentions of the makers of this film were to make money, and they thought their audience would be interested in seeing this; enough copies survived that at least one is still around in good enough shape to be presented on the Europa Film site on the web.

A freak show performance caught on camera in 1900. A largely limbless man, mainly functioning with the small bit of his right arm/shoulder that he was born having, does various little actions in a rather impressive way. The short may be a bit exploitive, but it is enjoyable and interesting just to see how one born in such a way may function. Others may find it creepy, I just found it a little weird, but in a very good way that anticipates Tod Browning's classic horror drama 'Freaks', one of my all time favourite films. Freak shows themselves obviously have some immoral aspect to them, but this whole performance is likably lighthearted and just an interesting display of talent if anything.

Kobelkoff (1900)

*** (out of 4)

This film runs just under two-minutes and takes us to at the time circus performance done by the "Human Torso" Nikolai Kobelkoff. He was a pretty popular circus "freak" back in the day due to him having no arms or legs but being able to perform all sorts of creative things. Most film buffs think of Tod Browning's FREAKS when it comes to the circus sideshows but here's the real thing for your entertainment. There's not much of a running time here but we get to see Kobelkoff fix a drink and do a couple other numbers, which are quite interesting to watch today. It appears he really enjoys playing up to the camera and this is certainly an interesting view to something that just isn't around today.